Chapter Two – B is for Bernie Kosar

Sam and I got several hours of much overdue sleep while Six kept watch. When the first rays of sunlight poked through the moth-eaten curtains of the motel room, she returned and announced it was time to get back on the road.

We packed up and re-loaded the truck, breakfast would happen later when we stopped to refuel.

Sam and I shared a box of powdered donuts and a two liter bottle of Mountain Dew. Six took down a cup of black coffee in one gulp and began to search the news from her Notebook.

"See anything interesting?" Sam asked her.

"Not since last night," she replied coolly, pausing to look at me.

A spray of white powder shot from Sam's mouth, as he nearly choked from his own laughter. I felt my face grow hot with embarrassment. I spend the rest of our break in silence. I looked at Six a few times from the corner of my eye – but she was busy surfing the internet.

When I finished with my food I returned to the truck and waited for Sam. Bernie Kosar sat beside me, snout flecked with the sugary remnants of his own donut.

"Should I try to talk to her?" I asked him while scratching behind his ears.

He barked once and wagged his tail. Yes.

"What do I say?" There really wasn't any practical way to bring up the events of the previous night. Though it was something that I should probably mention, at the very least just to clear the air. I looked out the window and she was packing up her bag. Sam was on his way back to the truck.

"We're heading southeast," he told me. "Going to double back. Six thinks it'll throw the Mogs off our trail and buy us some time."

It sounded like a good plan. I put the truck in gear and followed Six back out to the interstate.

"You know," Sam leaned back against the seat and put his feet up on the dash. "The view from here isn't half bad."

By view, he was referring to the back of Six. More specifically, the way her pants hung low on her hips and her jacket cropped at her waist, revealing a sliver of her skin just above her ass.

"Come on," he jokingly smacked me on the shoulder. "Don't tell me you haven't thought about it."

"Thought about what?"

"You know – doing her," Sam grinned at me.

"Doing her?"

Sam began making grunting noises and thrusting his hips. "Oh Number Six! Oh Baby!"

"Stop it," I punched him lightly. "I love Sarah. I would never be unfaithful to her."

"Really? Because I won't say anything," Sam looked at Six then back at me. "I swear." He made an "X" over his heart.

"We're a monogamous people," I told him. "We mate for life. Sarah's it for me. She's the one."

"Whoa," Sam's shoulders slid back against the seat. "So your mate doesn't have to be another Lorien?"

"No."

Sam and I got into a very philosophical discussion about love. He told me about the ways humans viewed love. He talked about being rejected, time after time after time. And the one time he hadn't been his heart had been broken shortly thereafter. Sam didn't have a very good track record when it came to girls.

I told him what Henri had told me about his wife, and how after she died he had never even looked at another woman. I shared with him what little I remembered about my parents and how happy they made each other; and how I had found that same joy with Sarah.

He couldn't believe that I had never dated anyone except Sarah.

"But how did you know she was the one?" he kept asking me. "How do you know it's not Six or one of the other Loriens?" Sam kept bugging me about Six. Did I feel a connection to her when I saw her for the first time? Did I know she was another Lorien?

I was so engrossed in our conversation, that I think – for a split second – I took my eyes off the road.

Because that's when I ran over something.

We barely noticed the bump, but the smell hit us like a freight train.

"Oh my God," Sam pulled the neckline of his shirt over his mouth and nose. "I can't breathe."

I pulled my shirt up too. My eyes watered as the strong acidic odor wafted into the truck.

"Pull over," Sam gasped.

I tugged the steering wheel sideways and ran off the road. In the distance I could see Six beginning to slow down and cross into the other lane in a U-turn.

Sam and I got out of the truck with Bernie Kosar right behind us. On the left front tire was the remainder of what was once a skunk.

"What do we do now?" Sam asked.

I used my telekinesis to remove the carcass from the tire and throw it far into the field that neighbored the interstate. Unfortunately, that didn't help the smell.

Six approached quietly, forearm across her face as she crouched down and evaluated the situation.

"He hit a skunk," Sam tattle-tailed on me.

"Never a dull moment with you, aye Four?" she remarked as she paced around the front end of the truck.

"We should try to wash it off," I suggested, avoiding the obvious meaning behind her passing comment. "Can you make it rain?"

"Aye. But rain won't help this," she informed us. "It's underneath as well. We'll have to find a car wash."

"On it," Sam removed his portable GPS from his pocket and in seconds had an address.

Fifteen minutes later we were on the property of Wash-N-Go, a self-serve car wash – which looked like it hadn't had any customers in quite some time. The walls of the bays were crumbling; the asphalt was littered with potholes. The sign was covered over with ample graffiti and most of the equipment had been vandalized.

"I don't know about you," Sam observed. "But when I take their customer service survey – I'm giving them one star for appearance."

Six had already been around the building twice. She'd collected two hoses, one had a brush attachment. Using our powers, she and I were able to repair the pumps to a minimally functioning level. She handed me one hose and Sam the other.

"Have fun," she told us.

"You're not going to help us?" Sam asked.

"No," she replied taking a small can of wax she must have found and a rag over to her bike where she began buffing the cherry red paint.

"Thanks!" I called out.

"You're welcome," she replied.

Sam and I took turns with brush, scrubbing the undercarriage of the truck. It took over an hour, but we managed to wash away most of the skunk scent. You could still smell it – but it wasn't nearly as overwhelming.

As we were finishing up, Sam accidentally sprayed Bernie Kosar with the hose. Bernie barked once at him, then shook himself off, getting me all wet.

"Hey!" I called out and sprayed Bernie again. He barked at us and shook his coat off again. Then Sam sprayed me. I used my powers to deflect the water back at him.

"That's cheating!" he yelled at me as he ducked behind a pillar.

For the briefest of moments I allowed myself to forget about the war with Mogadorians, to forget that I was running for my life. I just acted impulsively – like a normal teenager and chased down my friend soaking him with the hose.

I was so focused on Sam that I neglected to see Six walking up a few feet behind us. Bernie Kosar was barking loudly and tugging at the hose.

"Stop it," I told him. But he didn't.

I spun around to get him with the water; but instead of wetting my dog, I hit Six square in the face.

Her sunglasses flew off and her hair was flung back by the force of the spray. She recovered and deflected the water back at me, drenching me from head to toe.

I dropped the hose to the ground, coughing out the gush of liquid that had gotten into my mouth. That's when I heard Sam's breath catch in his throat.

Six had bent over to pick up her sunglasses, when she stood back up we could see that her white tank top was soaked all the way through. I mean all the way. We had a perfect view of her breasts.

It took her a moment to realize what we were both staring at. When she did she immediately turned invisible.

Bernie Kosar barked at me and wagged his tail. Funny!

"No," I told him. "Bad dog!"

"Don't listen to John," Sam told Bernie Kosar as he squatted down next to the dog hugging him. "You're a good boy." He patted Bernie's head. "In fact, you're my hero."

Thank you to babyshan211 and MileyRayCyruslover11 for the reviews.

And to everyone else - please feel free to review and leave suggestions - Gemma